also: ドロぬま
The road had turned into a quagmire after the rain.
quagmire; morass; dire situation
Only with reading どろぬま / ドロぬま
Figurative use: a difficult, entangled situation from which it is hard to escape. Often used with verbs like はまる (get stuck in) or 抜け出す (get out of).
He got stuck in a morass of debt.
The negotiations have bogged down.
Their relationship got stuck in a quagmire.
He finally managed to escape the debt quagmire.
The two countries fell into a protracted, unwinnable war.
Katakana spelling emphasizing the figurative 'sticky situation' sense; often used in media.